Jean Sewell, 92, longtime teacher
Funeral services were held Sunday for Jean Webb Sewell, 92, a former teacher at public, parochial, and independent schools in Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
Funeral services were held Sunday for Jean Webb Sewell, 92, a former teacher at public, parochial, and independent schools in Philadelphia and Montgomery County.
Mrs. Sewell died of cancer at home in Wynnefield Heights on Tuesday, Jan. 5. At the time of her death, she resided with her oldest daughter, Vivian Marie Sewell.
At various times, Mrs. Sewell taught at the Widener Memorial School in Olney; Thomas Mifflin School in East Falls; St. Bridget's Roman Catholic Church in East Falls; Friends' Central School in Wynnewood; and Friends Select School in Center City.
Her specialty was reading. She was one of the first to teach about the Leni-Lenape culture and people through a program of the University of Pennsylvania Museum.
She also taught adults enrolled in Adult Basic Education and GED programs administered by the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Salvation Army, and the School District of Philadelphia.
Longtime friend Gloria Hochman said Mrs. Sewell was "a unique, learned woman" who always looked elegant.
Mrs. Sewell served on the first board of the African American Museum in Philadelphia. She volunteered at the YWCA of Germantown and was a member of the West Mount Airy Garden Club.
Believing that parental involvement helped boost a child's success in school, she was involved in PTA work at the schools that her three children attended. She organized many Daisy Day fund-raising campaigns for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and served as a Cub Scout den mother for the boys in her neighborhood.
Mrs. Sewell enjoyed playing bridge and dancing the Madison - a line dance with intricate footwork. She liked baking popovers and sponge cakes, and relaxing on the beach.
"My mother was the smartest woman I have ever known," her daughter said. "She could combine common sense with an academic education, and she treated everyone with respect."
Mrs. Sewell graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls in 1940 and the University of Pennsylvania in 1944. She was a member of the Latin Honor Society and pledged Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Gamma chapter.
She earned a bachelor's degree in English and Latin and a master's degree in secondary education, all from Penn.
Mrs. Sewell was married for 46 years to Edward M. Sewell, medical director of pulmonary disease and respiratory services at Children's. The couple lived in Mount Airy. Dr. Sewell died in 1990.
In addition to her daughter, she is survived by daughter Nancy Jean; son Richard Lemuel; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and two nephews.
A service and inurnment were held Sunday, Jan. 31, at the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in Overbrook.
Donations can be made to the Southern Poverty Law Center at www.splcenter.org, or to Oxfam, an organization that works to reduce poverty, at www.oxfamamerica.org.
610-313-8102